Hundreds of people watched ‘The Review by Martin Dockery’ held at the Tom Hendry Warehouse in the Winnipeg Fringe Festival on Friday afternoon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Set in a law office, Martin Dockery and Andrew Broaddus play two lawyers in the middle of a performance review.<\/p>\n
Classified as a play-dramedy, the show does a good job at balancing the intended seriousness of the setting, with levity through well-timed humour.<\/p>\n
Precise body language enhanced the setting and added to the tensity of the scenes. Actions like taking a sip of coffee or pacing around the office, made the scene more realistic.<\/p>\n
Character profiles\u00a0<\/p>\n
The opening scene unfolds as Dockery\u2019s character is being scrutinized by Broaddus\u2019 for his contributions or lack thereof to the firm.<\/p>\n
Dockery masterfully portrays an older but subordinate lawyer that is annoyed his work needs to be evaluated. His character comes across as intentionally argumentative and mischievous.<\/p>\n
Broaddus acts well as a younger but more authoritative figure trying to feign modesty but has an edge of arrogance.<\/p>\n
Dressed in suits, Dockery and Broaddus are believable as lawyers. Dockery is dressed in a lighter but matching suit, which is reflective of his less intense but calculated character.<\/p>\n
Broaddus was dressed in darker colours to evoke confidence but appeared less cohesive than Dockery’s character to show his internal self-doubt.<\/p>\n
Although not a human character, the play does a good job at incorporating an AI agent, named Sapphire reminiscent of Siri or Alexa.<\/p>\n
RELATED STORIES:<\/p>\n
Entertaining and engaging\u00a0<\/p>\n
As the performance review goes on, it becomes jeopardized at the revelation that Broaddus’ character accidentally sent a suggestive picture to Dockery’s character’s wife.<\/p>\n
As the show continues, Dockery’s character tries to use the information he has to blackmail Broaduss’ character to pass the review.<\/p>\n
Themes of betrayal, rejection, and striving were present and well woven into the play, under the guise of a standard evaluation.<\/p>\n